Welcome to Pattie’s Homeplate Cafe Fountain and Gifts: Where the Dream of the 90s Still Exists

Okay, maybe Ed Bagley Jr. didn’t come out and offer us a Cuppa Joe, Side O’ Dough like in the fictional “Brunch Village” episode of Portlandia. But Pattie’s Homeplate Cafe Fountain and Gifts is a real place on Lombard Street in Portland, OR that served as the backdrop to one of the funniest episodes of Portlandia ever.

John and I watch re-runs of Portlandia on Netflix on a pretty regular basis and to get even more hyped up for our trip to the PDX, aka the City of Roses, aka Stumptown, aka Bridge City aka Portland, we wanted to try and visit some of our favorite icons from the show.

Welcome to Pattie’s Homeplate Cafe Fountain and Gifts and yes, it is truly as amazing as you think it’d be. When you first walk into Pattie’s, it seems like you’re actually walking in to a time-warp where everything is from 1990-something and the food is surprisingly fantastic. Disclaimer: they do NOT serve a cuppa joe, side of dough. Trust me, I asked.

Everything about this eatery screams Portland. For starters, there is not one place on the east coast I can think of that is a restaurant slash out-of-date boutique that actually sells life and style and knitting magazines that are from 1991. After ordering breakfast (and a cuppa Joe) I walked around the store, coming face to face with a life size mannequin wearing sunglasses, a bookshelf full of old paperbacks that were 3 for $1, old sewing magazines from the early, early 90s, bracelets, discounted perfumes, porcelain dolls and so much more. I purchased a bracelet there for $5 that has charms of leaves and happy faces and an antique woman on it that is now permanently stitched to my wrist.

The food is pretty inexpensive and I must have heard our waitress greet a dozen customers by name, letting us know that this is truly a staple in people’s morning routines. I love any place that can greet their customers by name and know their orders by heart. It just goes to show how much charm and character Pattie’s Homeplate Cafe possesses.

Next time you’re in Portland, I recommend checking out this quaint little eatery. It’s such a cool and funky place that gives you a small town vibe in a city that’s larger than life.